Distinguishing characteristics: All white; formal symmetry; two Ionic and two plain columns on portico; some adornments in molding

Famous occupant: Henry S. Baird

Historical links: Baird was attorney general of Wisconsin Territory from 1836-1839 and mayor of Green Bay for two terms, 1861 and 1862. His wife, Elizabeth Baird, chronicled life in territorial Wisconsin.

Open to public? Yes, in season

Notable fact: Some materials for Baird Law Office — such as the glass, window sashes, cut nails and moldings — are believed to have been shipped by water from the East. The ability to produce such items locally had not yet arrived.

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Before Wisconsin was a state and Green Bay was a city, some citizens felt a need to put up buildings that looked important. What today is known as the Baird Law Office is one of them.

Henry S. Baird was an influential figure in local and state history. He found architecture befitting his stature when he purchased what became his namesake in 1841.

"The building was constructed in 1835 on Main Street near Monroe Avenue in Green Bay," said Nick Backhaus, restoration supervisor at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Allouez, where the building is located today. "Original owner Samuel Beall used it as a land office and his residence."

At 16 by 30 feet, it is cozy.

"The architecture is Greek Revival, a style popular in the 1800s, though often expressed on much larger buildings," Backhaus said. "Many prosperous Americans believed that ancient Greece represented the spirit of democracy."

Though small, the front of the building is filled with classical elements.

"The building has a portico (walkway with columns)." Backhaus said. "It has Ionic caps on top of the center two columns. The center two columns are round fluted, and the outer two columns are square.

"It is symmetrical, with a center door with two front windows spread apart."

The triangular element in the upper façade, or pediment, includes the entablature and its architectural features.

"It consists of a frieze board, which is cedar board, a wide board, the architrave, which rests directly on top of the column caps," Backhaus said. "On this particular style, it has the dentals that rest below the horizontal cornice."